FINAL
Date:May 25, 2005
To:Technical Advisory Committee - Ad Hoc Whitefly, Q biotype Task Force
Tom Fuchs, Cindy McKenzie, Cristi Palmer, Dave Schuster, David Byrne, Frank Byrne, Judy Brown, Lance Osborne, Scott Ludwig, Matthew Ciomperlik, Peter Ellsworth, Phil Berger, Bob Staten, Ronald Oetting, Steve Naranjo, Tim Dennehy, T. X. Liu, John Goolsby
From:Bob Nichols
CC:Osama El-Lissy
Subject:Report of the Conference Call.
IA. New Pest Advisory Group (NPAG)
The NPAG report is an internal USDA-APHIS (hereafter 'APHIS') document. Rather than release the NAPG report to the Committee, Phil Berger stated that APHIS will copy the Committee on the State Plant Reporting Organization ('SPRO') letter. The SPRO letter, from APHIS Administrator Dunkel, will inform the SPROs of the NPAG's findings and recommendations, and of APHIS's thereby issued policy concerning the Q biotype. It is anticipated that APHIS will not regulate this pest, i.e. the pest will be not actionable nor reportable.
IB. Q Threatens Current Whitefly Management Practices
Co-Chair, Dr. Tim Dennehy, stated that the whiteflies in the Dec. 2004 collection from poinsettia (designated 'P04'), purchased at a retail outlet in Tucson, were highly resistant to the principal modes of insecticide action used on melons and cotton in Arizona, including pyriproxyfen, buprofezin, and the neonicotinoid insecticides, i.e. imidicloprid and acetamiprid were each tested. Further discussion among the participants identified these insecticides among those widely used in other vegetables and in greenhouses under trade names other than those recognized in cotton.
IIA. Survey: Current Information - Locations Positive for the Q biotype
Retail/Greenhouse House Location DateReporting Agency
Tucson, AZ3/05Univ. of AZ, UC Riverside
Nippomo, CA4/05CDFA
Encinitas, CA4/05CDFA
New River, AZ5/05ADA
Temecula, CA5/05CDFA
IIB. Recommendations for Sampling
Several individuals, representing Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, responded to the point. The consensus was that the goal of the survey was to monitor apparent movement and predict downstream impacts on crops and areas. The Committee recommends that the individual State Departments of Agriculture identify sites for themselves. We recommend that such determinations be made in consultation with University Co-operative Extension and/or USDA/APHIS personnel, who are familiar with needs, and other scientists with expertise in this area. The highest priority should be on sampling greenhouses, and whitefly host crops in proximity to greenhouses. Special emphasis should be placed on greenhouse facilities that are known to have received whitefly hosts in 2004 from the aforementioned production facilities that have tested positive for the Q biotype,.
The co-chairs will produce a sampling protocols. This will be distributed to the full committee for review.
IIC. Data management. We recommend that all data collected by university or governmental personnel be sent to the National Pest Information System (NPIS) database, housed at Purdue. Osama El-Lissy will be responsible for updating the Committee approximately every 30 days of new data, including assays that are both positive and negative for Q. (Note that the database is open to the state agencies, but not others.) Co-Chair Lance Osborne stated that the survey process needed to be conducted as expeditiously as possible, and that the data reporting should be transparent and as real-time as possible. The Co-Chairs, Dennehy and Osborne, will convey this recommendation to Osama El-Lissy for presentation to the Industry Committee for review.
IID. Molecular and/or Biochemical Testing of Biotype
For the next meeting, the Co-Chairs requested that Frank Bryne, Judy Brown, and Cindy McKenzie make a report on testing to include agreement on the method or methods to be employed, precision and accuracy of agreed upon methods, names and contact information of labs, procedures for submitting samples, and estimated cost per insect.
It was agreed that every effort must be made to eliminate all appearances of bias in the analysis of samples. It was suggested that a central receiving authority be established to which all samples are submitted. Samples would then be coded and forwarded to the laboratories willing to do the biotype tests. Appropriate sham samples comprising known samples of B and Q biotypes would be added to each group of samples. Scientific integrity of the testing would be assured. APHIS would be the logical agency for assuming this responsibility.
Phil Berger noted that he was pursuing an alternative private laboratory to which sample could be submitted.
Also Drs. Dennehy and Osborne have prepared a draft protocol for site sampling and sample handling. The Committee requested that the protocol be presented at the next meeting.
Next Meeting
Osama El-Lissy will organize a conference call on Friday, June 3 at 11:00 AM Pacific, 12 noon Mountain, 1:00 PM Central, and 2:00 PM Eastern time